VOLCANIC ERUPTIONS IN THE PHILIPPINES. 375 



themselves, such as the monks in charge of parishes where the great- 

 est damage was done, and are sufficiently vivid, however much 

 they may lack of what would now be called " scientific " accuracy. 



Probably the most remarkable volcanic outburst in historical 

 times, on account of the distance apart of the simultaneous erup- 

 tions, although its intensity might not be regarded as great when 

 compared with that of ]s!rakatoa, was that of January 4, 1G41, 

 when a volcano on the southeastern extremity of Mindanao, an- 

 other on the northern coast of the island of Sulu to the west, and 

 a third in Luzon far to the north, became active at the same time. 

 A translation of the original Spanish report of this extraordinary 

 phenomenon, which is extremely rare and practically inaccessible 

 to students, is given in Jagor's Reisen in den PJiilippinen. From 

 this it appears that upon two occasions, toward the end of Decem- 

 ber, 1G40, volcanic ashes fell at Zamboanga (on the southwest 

 coast of Mindanao) and covered the fields like a light frost. On 

 January 1, 1G41, the auxiliary fleet carrying troops from Manila 

 to the island of Ternate was off Zamboanga, and on the 3d, at 

 about 7 p. M., people in the latter place heard Avhat they sup- 

 posed was artillery and musketry firing at some miles' distance. 

 Believing that an enemy was attacking the coast, preparations 

 were made to meet him, and the commander of the galleys sent 

 a boat out to see if any of the vessels of the fleet needed assistance, 

 but the boat returned without finding the fleet. 



On the next day, January 4, 1G41, at about 9 a. m., the noise 

 of the supposed cannonading increased to such an extent that 

 it was feared in Zamboanga that the Spanish fleet had been at- 

 tacked by the Dutch, with whom the Spaniards were then at war. 

 This noise lasted about half an hour, when it became evident that 

 it was not caused by artillery, but proceeded from the outbreak 

 of a volcano, for, toward noon, thick darkness began to spread 

 over the sky to the south, which soon covered that part of the 

 heavens and gradually spread over the whole sky, so that by 1 

 p. M. it was as dark as night,, and by 2 p. m. the darkness had so 

 increased that one could not distinguish objects a short distance 

 off. Candles were lighted, and a great fear fell upon the people, 

 who fled to the churches to pray and confess. This darkness, dur- 

 ing which no light was visible in the whole horizon, lasted until 

 2 A. M., when the moon became visible, to the great joy of both 

 Spaniards and Indians, who were afraid of being buried beneath 

 the ashes which had been falling since 2 p. u. The fleet, which 

 was then passing the southern end of Mindanao, was thrown into 

 confusion by the tumult of the elements, and was in darkness 

 earlier than Zamboanga — viz., at 10 a. m. — because it was nearer 



